Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1887-10-21
Great Reduction.
Beginning with Oct. LIST the Weekly
FREE PRESS is reduced in price to ONE
DOLLAR a year. Tell all your friends.
The Howl of an Administration Or
ran.


gan.
The star, which is the organ of the pres
ent administration in New York city, I'M
dertakes to call Senator E1munds to nc
count, for two alleged breaches of per
sonal and official propriety. The first of
these was the senator's allusion to the
battle flags, at the late reunion of the
Seventeenth Vermont. All that he said Las
our readers will remember, was that the
people at Washington had learned to take
care of the captured flags, and that the
flags would probably remain where they
are to the end of this administration.
/ This very proper suggestion, is characterize
ed by the star as extremely insolent -
All we have to say as to this is that if
this is insolence, the administration has
already had to put up with good deal of
1t, and will have to put with good deal
more.
But this is not Mr.. E1munds's chief
offence. HAVING thus got upon its ear,
the Stnr proceeds with exceeding inpu-
ence to take the senator to task for allow
ing himself TO be employed as counsel be-
fore the Interstate commerce commission.
1t calls upon Mr. Edmunds to explain
upon what principle he takes a fee of $685.
600 to argue a case before bench of five
men upon the confirmation of every one
of whom he is to vote in a week or two
after the hearing" "This, =" adds the star.
lis precisely what Mr.. Edmunds has I'M
dertaken to do in the dressed beef case
before the Interstate commerce commits
sion. The judges in this case are depend
ent for their offices, for their salaries, for
the appropriations for their expenses and
clerks upon the breath of the powerful
senator who presents Mr. Armour's side
Of 1T to them but few days before their
names come before him for confirmation.
We do not doubt that they are each and
all of them far above his intimidation.
But what must be thought of the attempt
and of him ?"
The StnTS suggestion would be to the
last degree insulting to the Interstate
commissioners, if it were not for the ex-
preston of its belief that they are above
such intimidation. But if this is so, Sen
ator Eimunds is nothing more to them
IMAM any other lawyer Of equal ability.
| He knows tde commissioners quite as
well, we venture to say, as the New York
star, and knowing that they cannot be
lntlmdated, of course he has not intm-
idated or tried to intimidate them. But
If he cannot intimidate them, what obiec-
ton can there be to his appearing before
| them
But who is it whose sense of honor is so
delicate as to stand aghast at the spectacle
of senator's appearing as counsel before
the commissions The Star is Mr. Dor
sheimer's paper. This is the Dorsheimer
who saw no improperly in his holding the
| office nf DitHI IA -,
while he was lifting rabid political
organ and using it, as we believe he did,
not only to sustain good deal OF official
corruption, but to influence cases in which
he was professionally engaged. 1t is the
Dorsheimer also, whose appointment
failed to be confirmed by the Senate and
was withdrawn. This circumstance quite
likely has not been forgotten by the STAR
But this vindictive organ cannot dam
age Senator Edmunds. His sense of per-
sonal and official propriety is quite as
! delicate, we venture to say, as the Stars
ana 1t IS well known that he has often de
clined retainer5 in important cases, prof
| fered both by the government aud its OBJ
ponents, because he thought senator
ought not to subject himself to the
possibility of bias, or act against
the interest of the government 1t is
true that he has appeared before the
interstate commission in one important
case, but without.fee and that he has
accepted not any $4,000 retainer, or any.
thing like it, but moderate and suitable
fee, as counsel in another important case.
| We presume that in both cases he has
acted with his eyes open and upon due
consideration. We know that he has been
appealed to by his brother senators and
by many citizens of high standing, to do
what he could as a lawyer, to prevent the
| great railroad com OlnatiOns from obtain
| ing wrong constructions of the inter
| State commerce act, to the enactme MT of
which he had contributed his powerful
assistance, and to try to obtain interpreta.
| tiOns of it which should be beneficial to
| the great public interests it was intended
to promote and we are very glad he has
| consented to do so. The fact that the
members of the commission hold their
Offices under temporary commissions,
which the president may or may not re-
new, and that they have not been con-
! flrmed, has no particular Importance that
we can perceive, as related to Mr. Ed |
munds's course. The judges of many
States are elected by the people; but no
! one thinks it to be improper for lawyer
who may be called upon to vote upon the |
question of their reelection to practice |
before them. The suggestion that the |
commissioners are in the power of anv
senator is simply ridiculous. The rail |
roads that own senators iand legislatures |
and control vast sources of influence, can
do vastly more to affect their confirmation
or rejection than Mr.. Edmunds can. But
neither railroads or senators can over-awe |
the commissioners They will do their |
public duty without fear or favor. Mr. !
Edmunds will do his. Certainly he ought |
not to decline to be employed by clients
whose interests coincide with the public !
welfare, because the judges happen at the
moment to be uncoufrmed by the Senate |
The Weekly FREE PRESS has hepn re-